Our Team

About

At Geminus Capital Partners, we bring together a group of seasoned investors, advisors, and business operators with experience across a host of industries. We have completed dozens of buyout transactions, and served as buyers, sellers and management during such transactions.

Unlike other traditional private equity firms, Geminus Capital Partners brings unrivalled leadership and management experience to the companies we acquire. This experience forms the cornerstone of our plans to grow and improve the value of out investments.

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Managing
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Institutional
Investors

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Limited
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MANAGING PARTNER

Jude Tuma

With 20+ years of founding, acquiring, and restructuring companies, Mr. Tuma’s career includes management consulting, operations, and private equity. He is an accomplished executive with extensive experience in leading and championing change – strategic, financial, organizational, and operational. He has raised capital from investors to make private equity investments with successful exit strategies that delivered significant returns to investors.

Mr. Tuma had an early vision about the power of data science and was the Founder and CEO of IRIS Consulting. The firm provided data analytics and pricing optimization services for corporate clients to make strategic, data-driven pricing decisions. This pioneering, innovative capability was at the forefront of AI and data science.

 With his business foresight, and strategic and operational skills, in 2007 Mr. Tuma started Geminus Capital Partners, a private investment firm focused on acquiring and restructuring companies. As Managing Partner and Chairman of the Board, he leads capital raising and executes search and investment strategies His investment theses rely on strategy, high quality research and analysis, due diligence, and active involvement in executing turnaround strategies. He has repeated success increasing revenue, profitability, and productivity of both Geminus Capital Partners’ acquisitions and IRIS Consulting, resulting in up to 3x the return of invested capital to investors. He also has a history of prioritizing investor returns and aligning personal financial success with meeting and exceeding investors’ return hurdles.  

In 2008 Geminus Capital Partners acquired Penn Warranty, a vehicle service warranty and insurance company. As the Chairman and CEO of Penn Warranty, Mr. Tuma leveraged his experience in AI and data analytics and transformed the company into one of the most technologically advanced, innovative, and profitable companies in its sector. The successful restructuring included targeted divestitures and acquisitions, and optimizing operational efficiency which resulted in a stronger balance sheet, higher productivity, brand improvement and ultimately – revenue and profit growth. He also developed and executed a successful exit strategy, selling the company to Kingsway Financial (NYSE: KFS) in 2019.       

Mr. Tuma has deep operational expertise in quantitative analysis and optimization, operational and financial restructuring, multi-channel sales and marketing, and team leadership. He has developed, managed, and mentored teams across multiple functions. His industry experience includes automotive, finance, insurance, energy services, retail, and technology in entrepreneurial and corporate environments. 

Mr. Tuma also has extensive board of director experience having served as Chairman of the Board of Penn Warranty and Prime Auto Care, a vehicle finance company that he launched with multiple investors. In addition, he is a Board Trustee for Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital, and serves on the boards of Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation and Young President’s Organization.

He holds dual degrees from the University of Pennsylvanian, an MBA from the Wharton School and an MA in International Relations from the Lauder Institute. He also earned a BS cum laude from the University of Texas.   

Mr. Tuma lives with his family in Philadelphia.  

LIMITED PARTNERS

Bill Egan

Mr. Egan is a founder and General Partner of Alta Communications. He co-founded Alta's predecessor firm, Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co., in 1979 and has identified and backed several of America's leading growth companies in the information technology, life sciences, and communications industries. Prior to founding Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co., Mr. Egan was a Partner at TA Associates. He began his career as a Manager of Venture Capital for New England Enterprise Capital Corporation. Mr. Egan is the past President and Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association, a Trustee of Fairfield University, a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Graduate Board Member of The Wharton School. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Village Voice Media and Cephalon, Inc. Mr. Egan received a degree in Economics from Fairfield University and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance.

Craig Burr

Mr. Burr's career has been devoted almost exclusively to venture capital and private equity activities, having founded Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. in 1979. Previously, Mr. Burr was a partner at TA Associates. In addition, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the New England Venture Capital Association and currently serves on the Board of Directors of several private companies. Mr. Burr received his Bachelor's Degree, cum laude, from Harvard College and his MBA from Harvard Business School.

David Dodson

Mr. Dodson is currently the Managing Director of Headwaters MB. He has been the CEO or Chairman of six middle-market companies and has acquired and/or sold 55 companies in that role. Mr. Dodson has also led multiple capital raises as CEO or Chairman with a range of private equity firms, including TA Associates, Bain Capital, Housatonic Partners, the Centennial Funds, and others. He currently serves as Chairman of Wind River Management Inc., was formerly Chairman of Worldbridge Broadband Services Inc., and has been Chairman & CEO of ADAP Inc. and Smith Alarm Inc. Mr. Dodson has served on the boards of 16 middle-market companies in which he was also a private investor. As a board member, Mr. Dodson has played a role in numerous debt and equity raises as well as ten significant M&A transactions. Prior to his entrepreneurial and private equity career, Mr. Dodson worked for McKinsey & Company. He holds a Bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University and an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

David Lazier

Mr. Lazier is a private investor who has made more than 130 investments in search funds. He is also the president of American Security Products, a leading manufacturer of high-security safes. From 1984 to 2011, Mr. Lazier served as Controller, Vice President of Sales and then Co-President of Nelson Nameplate Company, a manufacturer of membrane switches and product identification based in Los Angeles, California. From 1982 to 1984, he worked as an engineer for IBM Corporation.

Mr. Lazier currently sits on the boards of American Security Products, Columbia Sanitary Products, Datum Technologies, and Gogotech. He has previously served on the boards of Glendale Memorial Hospital Foundation, the San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University.

Grant Gund

Grant is a Managing Partner of Coppermine Capital. Prior to joining Coppermine, he worked at Megunticook Management, a Boston-based venture capital firm. While at Megunticook, he served on the Boards of Carescout, Choicelinx, Data TV Networks and Digital Reliance. Grant was previously General Manager of Aware Records, an independent record label in Chicago, and prior to that worked at Gund Investment Corp. and at the First National Bank of Boston. Grant is currently serving on the Boards of Action Legal, Data TV Networks, Hunter Manufacturing, and is an observer at Isis Maternity. He received a BA from the University of Vermont and earned an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Jim Southern

Mr. Southern is the managing member of JS Capital Partners, an acquisition company focused on service businesses in high growth industries. He served as Chairman and CEO of Continental Fire & Safety Services, a privately held company providing fire safety services to commercial and industrial customers; and Uniform Printing, a national printer of specialty insurance forms and documents. Mr. Southern serves or has served on the boards of ten privately held companies and is an investor in more than 20 privately held companies. Mr. Southern received his BA from Southwestern University and MBA from Harvard Business School.

John Kephart

Mr. Kephart has spent most of his career in the banking and financial services industry, where he held numerous executive-level positions. He currently serves as the senior vice president at Washington First International Bank, where he manages the bank's operations and leads the bank's restructuring efforts. He was previously the executive vice president of Foundation Bank in Seattle, WA as well as Managing Director at The Commerce Bank of Washington. He held similar positions at Rainier National Bank. Mr. Kephart was also the CEO of Seattle based Mercury Prime, a security software company, where he oversaw the acquisition of the company's core technology by a new investor group. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington.

Jose R. Stella

Mr. Stella most recently was the Co-Founder and President of VIU Media, Puerto Rico's largest locally-owned outdoor advertising company, which was sold to Lamar Advertising. Prior to becoming President of VIU Media, he was the Co-Founder and President of Quest Management Corporation, a private equity group formed to identify, acquire, and operate a company in Puerto Rico. Previously, Mr. Stella worked at KPMG Peat Marwick in the middle-market Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory Group. He also worked for UBS and Chase Manhattan Bank and received the 2004 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Puerto Rico. Currently, he serves as a director of Rocket Learning, LLC and Centros Sor Isolina Ferré, the largest Puerto Rico based not-for-profit organization. Mr. Stella graduated with high honors, with a B.A. in Economics, Finance and Investments from Babson College and graduated cum laude with an MBA from The University of Michigan.

Michael O'Connell

Mr. O'Connell is currently the Managing Director of M2O Investments, a family investment fund. He was formerly the Managing Director and President of Anhalt, O'Connell & Steffanci, Inc., an investment management firm specializing in debt securities with $1 billion under management. Previously, Mr. O'Connell owned and operated the National Lines Bureau, a ship mooring company for the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors. He is currently an investor in over 20 private companies. Mr. O'Connell received a B.A. with high honors from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Rafael Somoza

Mr. Somoza most recently was the Co-Founder and CEO of VIU Media, Puerto Rico's largest locally-owned outdoor advertising company, which was sold to Lamar Advertising. Prior to becoming CEO of VIU Media, he was the Co-Founder and CEO of Quest Management Corporation, a private equity group formed to identify, acquire, and operate a company in Puerto Rico. Previously, Mr. Somoza worked at CS First Boston, where he was involved in structuring over $1.2 billion in financings. He received the 2004 E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Puerto Rico, and currently sits on the board of the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau and EM Assist, LLC. Mr. Somoza graduated magna cum laude, with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science, from Yale University and holds an MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

R. Scott Asen

Mr. Asen graduated from Harvard College in 1966. In 1966 and 1967 he co-authored a study of the put and call options markets, How to Make Money Selling Stock Options. Mr. Asen joined the brokerage firm of Mitchell, Hutchins & Co. in 1967 where he worked in the investment advisory department with responsibility for research on small technology stocks. Between 1969 and 1974, Mr. Asen was a portfolio manager with Research and Science Investors, a New York based venture capital and money management firm. From 1974 until 1977, Mr. Asen was self-employed as a journalist specializing in reporting on municipal finance issues. In 1977, Mr. Asen became a general partner of Pioneer Ventures, a group of venture capital and special situations entities created by a wealthy New York investor. Throughout the following two decades, Mr. Asen had primary responsibility for managing the various Pioneer Ventures entities, which were successfully liquidated over a number of years with final payments made in 2002. Mr. Asen is currently a private investor managing a portfolio of equity and real estate investments for his personal account. At present, Mr. Asen sits on the boards of three privately held companies. He is a Trustee of Groton School and The Paris Review and a board member of the Mt. Desert Land and Garden Preserve.

Tom Cassutt

Mr. Cassutt has made more than 130 investments in search funds. He is also the CFO of American Security Products, a leading manufacturer of high-security safes. From 1984 to 2011, Mr. Cassutt was Co-President of Nelson Nameplate Company, a manufacturer of membrane switches and product identification based in Los Angeles, California. From 1978 to 1984, he was the Controller of Bristol Corporation, the parent company of 10 manufacturing entities.

Mr. Cassutt currently sits on the boards of American Security Products, Columbia Sanitary Products, Dynamic Growth Dental, and Positive Coaching Alliance. He received a Bachelor of Physics Degree in 1982 from the University of California, Irvine, where he was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate. In 1986, he received an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar and the recipient of the Alexander A. Robichek Award, given each year to the top student in finance.

William N. Thorndike

Mr. Thorndike founded Housatonic Partners in 1994. Prior to that, Mr. Thorndike worked with the Walker Publishing Company and T. Rowe Price Associates.

Mr. Thorndike is a graduate of Harvard College and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a Director of Access Information Management; Alta Colleges; Continental Fire & Safety Services, LLC; Carillon Assisted Living, LLC; Rapid Communications, LLC; White Flower Farm, Inc. and a Trustee of the Groton School, the Boston Athenaeum, and the College of the Atlantic.

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS

The Cambria Group

The Cambria Group is a private equity firm which acquires and invests in small and mid-sized businesses across a wide range of industries and geographies. We seek sound businesses with established operating histories, rather than startups and turnarounds. Our principals bring a blend of operating and finance experience and will work closely in each situation with entrepreneurial management both to build the enterprises they run and to increase the value of those businesses.

Cambria focuses on quality businesses with revenues of under $50 million and valuations of under $25 million, investing across a wide range of industries, including the low-tech manufacturing, distribution and service sectors. Cambria considers a variety of transaction types as well, from outright acquisitions to growth equity financings.

Coppermine Capital, LLC

Coppermine Capital is a private investment firm looking to acquire small to mid-size manufacturing and service companies with sales between $5 and $25 million. We have a long-term investment horizon and are committed to managing and growing our investments over many years. Coppermine Capital will play an active role in management, but is willing to partner with existing management to create lasting value and growth.

Housatonic Partners

Housatonic Partners is a private equity investment firm founded in 1994 with over $600 million in capital under management. We invest in growing, profitable companies in the recurring services, media and communications industries. We have partnered with exceptional management teams in more than fifty small to mid-sized companies in these industries over the last thirteen years.